Wrap - Buddy Hard To Watch

1. Warm Up Injuries. Interesting to see more and more NRL players getting injured in their warm ups - Morris (Roosters), Liam Knight (Rabbits), Tom Eisenhuth (Storm)? This is ridiculous. They crap around for too long with silly run throughs. In the old days, Reserve Grade used to play and you would never get on the field to muck around. There is too much silly shoulder rubbing and internal run throughs. Honestly, what happened to the footy being passed round the circle, muck around kicks for goal, drop kicks off the tryline to try and thread the posts...field goals...

2. NRL Haircuts. Why do so many players look like they have their hair cut by the council at the moment?

3. Melbourne. First they completely stuff up COVID-19, then we change the world for them. They get special treatment everywhere they look. The refereeing to allow them extra time at goaline drop outs and extras here and there is masterful, but the web is tightening around them. The wrestle that has plagued the game has been removed, but not completely...the slow play the balls have been eliminated. Through all this, injuries and new signings, Melbourne Storm keep surging ahead. Would it be wise for the Bulldogs or Warriors to sign Cameron Smith up as their long term coach?

4. Broncos. You can stop crying now. They beat the Bulldogs. Dean Pay is shot and has been telling people for some time. I think the exit of Foran, Hopoate and a few others will help ...more pace out wide and some leadership in the backs will do the trick. Their forwards have slow feet (Tolman, Jackson)...it is a brutal game. The new Englishman forward, Luke Thompson, looks like a young James Graham. Not very creative, but tough. The life of an NRL forward is very limited. Leg speed matters.

Manly were absolutely pole axed by St George. Their best win in a long time. They have some talent in their side...Sims makes a big difference. Young Lomax is really stepping up.

Loving some of the big hits on the attacking players in these wrap/ decoy plays.

5. Ill Discipline. Joey Leulia and Hudson Young..maybe Josh Maguire...are these the most ill disciplined players in the NRL? Nathan Brown (Parramatta) is up there.

6. Bunker. Sick to death of bunker decisions which over assess the play. Can we get rid of it? The single referee has barely raised an eyebrow of difference, outside of some dodgy touch judge forward pass calls. Back to the original model? Or in goal touch judges perhaps? Live decisions are always best.

7. West Indies. It is a shame they are not as terrifying as they once were. The fear of batsmen in the 1980s was something else. They can play one or maybe two good test innings... but never four innings. England at home under sunny skies will punish you. A tricky chase of 200 or so will be interesting when James Anderson is playing. Hard to believe you drop Stuart Broad. He has almost taken 500 test wickers and is one of the game's most elite players ever. He specialises in winning games in England in the fourth innings.

8. EPL Relegation. Norwich are gone. Bournemouth and Aston Villa look like joining them. Liverpool are within an ace of 100 point season... a remarkable sign of domination, despite picking up a draw with Burnley at Anfield overnight. Leicester and ManU have a chance to leapfrog Chelsea into the top four as well.

9. AFL. Hard to knock Port Adelaide's domination. Lots of ups and downs for GWS continue and the Swans are cooked. Their poor recruitment of lots of midfielders and very few blokes with speed is hurting them now. They got focused on a certain style of player - Heeney, Mills... What an atrocious style of play they are bringing to the game each week. How long away is Buddy Franklin. There is no doubting he will be fresh when he arrives back. He's been injured for over a year!

10. Super Rugby. No one is quite clear what is going on with this sport, but the Waratahs had a win (just) over the Force who would be happy COVID-19 arrived. A lifeline.